Page 36 - Health, Population and Environment Education 9

very often they suffer from several diseases. Whenever they suffer from any diseases,
they cannot afford expensive health services. Likewise, they have difficulty to afford the
required medicines as well. As a result, many people die due to poverty.

iii. Lack of nutritious food
Everyone needs to have nutritious food for maintaining
their health and proper functioning of body systems
and organs. People must consume sufficient amount
of meat, eggs, milk and milk products, rice, pulses,
fruits, vegetables, etc. in order to get necessary
proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals
in our body. Carbohydrates and fats give us heat and
energy. Proteins maintain growth and development of
cells. Vitamins protect us from diseases and minerals Fig: 17
regulate body activities. When people lack nutritious
food, there is no proper functioning of body systems and organs. Moreover, people suffer
from malnutrition and various other diseases. As a result, people die suffering from
different diseases.

c. Environmental factors
There are various environmental factors affecting death. Some are described below:

i. Climate
The climatic condition of a place affects the death of people. Generally, in the hot places,
people become mature faster and older sooner in comparison to people in cold places.
Even there is rapid increase of insects, germs and micro–organisms in hot places than in
cold places. There is spreading of many insect borne diseases like malaria, encephalitis,
filariasis, dangue, diarrhea, cholera, dysentery, etc. in hot places. As a result, there is more
death of people in hot places than in cold places.

ii. Occurrence of natural calamities
Increased population has caused deforestation,
haphazard use of resources and environment
degradation. Due to various human activities, there
is frequent occurrence of natural calamities like
flood, landslide, soil erosion etc. Similarly, there
is occurrence of natural disasters like earthquake,
volcanic eruptions, cyclones, hurricanes, tsunami,
etc. During the occurrence of such disasters, there is
death of several people along with the destruction of Fig: 18
their properties. There was death of more than 10000
people in major earthquake in 2072 B.S. in Nepal. More than 20000 people died and many
more missing in tsunami in Japan in 2012 A.D. Every year, there is death of many people
in Nepal due to flood and landslide.

36 GREEN Environment Population and Health Education Book-9